The present invention relates generally to receptacles for receiving spills of liquid or solid material, and, more particularly, to a collapsible spill containment bag for use with a leaking container.
The transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous liquid and solid chemical and petroleum products is a thriving industry in this and other countries, with large quantities of such products being transported annually. Tanker trucks and railroad tanker cars having storage tanks are normally utilized to effect the transport of these materials and will sometimes develop leaks in their valves or tank walls, thereby permitting the contents to spill into the outside environment. Such leaks are not infrequent and can occur from undetected damage, aging of the equipment, or continual vibration.
Within factories, these materials are often stored in tanks or other containers of varying designs and sizes. Often, a complex array of conduits and valves will be used to transport and combine the materials in the tanks. These, as well as the conduits and valves, represent potential points of leakage as a result of corrosion, impacts and other failure of materials.
The resulting spills not only result in the commercial loss of product, but also they often jeopardize the environment and may even pose a direct and immediate hazard to human health and safety in the case of hazardous substances. Accordingly, some statutes have been enacted which impose fines upon the operators of tank transports if a spill occurs. The operators are generally required to absorb the cost of the cleanup of the spill.
The term "container" as used herein refers to stationary and transportable storage tanks and other storage vessels such as bins, hoppers and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel spill containment bag for use with a leaking container for placement adjacent the point of leakage therefrom.
It is also an object to provide such a containment bag which is collapsible for convenient transport or storage, thereby enabling rapid deployment in the development of a leak.
A further object is to provide such a bag which may be readily and relatively economically fabricated.